All I Had Was Nothingness
Guillaume Ribot’s contemplative portrait of Claude Lanzmann reveals the moral and artistic labor behind Shoah through the filmmaker’s own words and archival images.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- reflective
- austere
- haunting
- film study
- historical reflection
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Claude Lanzmann's voice and archive footage provide the central perspective on his work and dedication.
The documentary focuses on Lanzmann's groundbreaking approach to recording Holocaust testimony through Shoah.
Lanzmann's dedication to Shoah and the previously unseen material emphasize the prolonged labor behind historical witnessing.
Previously unseen footage and Lanzmann's own words offer new insights into the creation of Shoah.
Films like All I Had Was Nothingness, and why
Night and Fog
archival documentary form, historical memory, and ethical engagement with testimony
The Five Obstructions
filmmaking process as subject, self-reflexive documentary form, and interrogation of cinematic authorship
A Film Unfinished
archival materials, contested memory, and documentary reconstruction of traumatic history
Stories We Tell
personal archives, family memory, and formally reflective documentary storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Guillaume Ribot
- Release Date
- 2025-11-26
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (10)
Cast
- Claude Lanzmann
Common questions
- What is All I Had Was Nothingness about?
- Guillaume Ribot’s contemplative portrait of Claude Lanzmann reveals the moral and artistic labor behind Shoah through the filmmaker’s own words and archival images.
- What is All I Had Was Nothingness like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of All I Had Was Nothingness as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is All I Had Was Nothingness violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in All I Had Was Nothingness.
- Which films are like All I Had Was Nothingness?
- Films with a similar feel include Night and Fog, The Five Obstructions, A Film Unfinished, and Stories We Tell.
- How long is All I Had Was Nothingness?
- All I Had Was Nothingness runs 94 minutes.
